17th ‘Spring of Martyrdom’ Int’l Festival to Kick Off in Karbala Wednesday

IQNA – The 16th edition of the ‘Spring of Martyrdom’ international festival will get underway in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala on Wednesday, February 14.

It will be inaugurated in a ceremony at the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS), Ali Kadhim Sultan, head of the organizing committee, said.

Some 100 religious figures and personalities from 30 countries are expected to attend the event, he said.

“Imam Hussein (AS), Slogan of Noblemen and Secret of Victory” is the theme of this year’s festival, which will run through Sunday, February 18, he noted.

It will include scholarly forums about Imam Hussein (AS), Hazrat Zeynab (SA), Hazrat Abbas (AS), companions of Imam Hussein (AS) and the holy city of Karbala, Sultan added.

Arabic poetry recitations, celebrations in schools, universities and government departments, and the 18^th edition of the Karbala international book fair will also be parts of the festival, he stated.

The ‘Spring of Martyrdom’ (or Rabee’-ul-Shahadah in Arabic, is an international religious-cultural program annually held on the birthday anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), Hazrat Abbas (AS) and Imam Sajjad (AS) in the lunar month of Shaaban.

The three occasions fall on February 13, 14, 15 this year.

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